[e-drug] WHO launches a 'make medicines child size' campaign (6)

e-drug
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E-DRUG: WHO launches a 'make medicines child size' campaign (6)
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Dear E-druggist,

The expression 'make medicines child size' is to me misleading as it suggests that medicines should be made the size of (a) child or children. If we have the intention to request that suitable or appropriate dosages forms of medicines be made for children, I believe that we can express that in simple, clear and unambigious expressions like 'make appropriate child medicine forms', 'make child medicine doses', 'make suitable child medicine sizes'. In fact we can replace suitable with appropriate.

Thank you,

Godspower Okangba
Pharmacist
Plot 1637 Adetokunbo Ademola Street
Victoria Island,
Lagos, Nigeria.
gokangba98@yahoo.com

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E-DRUG: WHO launches a 'make medicines child size' campaign (7)
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There are pros and cons of labeling medicines "child size". I have heard
concerns expressed by practitioners and pharmacists in this exchange, but
few that direct their attention to or informed by studies of medicine
taking practice in local populations. How do mothers currently give
medications to children of different ages when medicine is prescribed or
self purchased as home therapy? What concerns do they have about
dosage and medicine strength and how does this influence practice? Having
spent years of my life conducting studies on medicine practice in several
different countries in South and SE Asia I can assure you that this issue
is of vital importance and worthy of rigorous research. Mothers often do
split doses of medications not just to stretch resources due to expense or
availability, but because they view medicines as too strong for young
children if the same medicine and dose is prescribed for older children or
adults, or because they want to test the demonstration effect of the
medicine, or because they think the child is sensitive to medicines based
on past experiences or because they have a weak constitution and so on.. In
a recent zinc trial for management of diarrheal disease*, we found that
mothers were indeed concerned about giving young children the same tablets
as older children for 10-14 days. In focus groups many suggested they would have been reassured if the medicine had a young child on a blister pack with words affirming the medicine was appropriate for young children. A
different color distinguishing it from the medicine of older children and
adults might also have helped not just enhance adherence but ally the
concerns of mothers. We will not know unless we develop a carefully worked
out research design which is patient centered.

*See: INTRODUCING ZINC IN A DIARRHOEAL CONTROL PROGRAMME: A MANUAL FOR
CONDUCTING FORMATIVE RESEARCH
Mark Nichter, Dr. Cecilia S. Acuin, and Ms. Alberta Vargas WHO (2008)

Mark Nichter
Mnichter@u.arizona.edu